Deepfakes have proven disastrous for people all around the world because of their deceptive nature and malicious intent.
While countries like the USA are advocating for stringent laws to control the deepfake menace, its own defense department is keen to use it to further geopolitical agendas, counter misinformation, and various other reasons.
According to an investigation, the country’s Department of Defence wants to use AI to create several online personas indistinguishable from real humans. If you’re curious, read until the end to uncover full details.
Truth Behind Deepfake Internet Users
Deepfakes are fake media, including audio, video, images, etc., created synthetically using advanced AI tools. They appear incredibly human-like, making it impossible to raise suspicion or alert viewers. The Pentagon plans to use this technology to create several fake online profiles that look convincingly real, making it impossible for humans and computers to detect that they aren’t real.
JSOC Wishlist
America’s Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) has created a 76-page wishlist highlighting the specifics needed to run the most clandestine and elite military efforts.
According to the procured wishlist, JSOC wants sophisticated technologies to generate convincing online personas for social networking websites, social media platforms, and other online content.
They’re seeking technologies to create online user profiles that look like unique individuals recognizable as real humans but don’t exist in the real world. These fake personas must feature multiple expressions and quality pictures worth passing government identification protocols.
More than Fake Individuals
JSOC doesn’t want static images of fake people that look real, but it is exploring solutions that also provide facial & background imagery, audio layers, facial & background video, etc. These features can be used to generate hyper-realistic ‘selfie videos’ where fake humans create content with matching faked backgrounds, undetectable by social media algorithms.
Pentagon’s Concerning Past
While the Pentagon’s decision to deploy fake online personas has raised ethical, security, and societal concerns, it isn’t the first time it will be using AI to spread misinformation. The Pentagon was accused of using phony social media users to undermine foreign confidence in China’s COVID-19 vaccine.
Technology Highlights
All deepfakes are created using machine learning techniques to fuel digital deception, influence operations, run disinformation campaigns, and cause communication disruptions. This year, the Pentagon has expressed interest in using software like StyleGAN.
It was launched by Nvidia and used to power websites like ‘This Person Does Not Exist.’ The Pentagon plans to use similar technology to create fake profiles that will gather information from public forums.
Hypocrisy and Ethical Dilemma
The U.S. government has consistently condemned the use of deepfakes by foreign adversaries like China, Russia, and Iran. A joint statement issued by the NSA, FBI, and CISA even termed the global deepfake proliferation as a ‘top risk’ for 2023. Despite prescribing caution and identifying the dangers associated with deepfakes, the country’s defense department aims to pursue the same technology to further its plans. It makes the department appear hypocritical in its approach and also raises grave ethical concerns.
Dangers of Using AI to Create Deepfake Internet Users
A study released by the country’s Army Strategic Studies indicated how deepfake videos used to sow disinformation for polarizing societies and deepening grievances are expected to grow in the coming decade. Experts believe the Pentagon’s offensive use of technology will normalize its use by global governments, fueling rapid disinformation campaigns.
Chief AI scientist Heidy Khlaaf believes there is no use of deepfakes other than deception. If the Pentagon and other global defense departments start using deepfakes, it will create a society where it’s impossible for citizens to differentiate truth from fiction, muddling the geopolitical sphere.
Hinting at Tensions within the Government
The USA launched an international framework to counter the rapid information manipulation by foreign countries like Russia and China in January 2024. This framework was introduced to address the potential dangers of deepfakes being used for interference in national matters.
Despite the USA admitting that deepfakes are a significant national security threat for itself and its allies, the Pentagon has decided to proceed to use AI to create fake profiles. This contradicting and hypocritical approach is being seen as a result of fundamental tension brewing within the U.S. government.
Trust in Government
One of the probable reasons being estimated behind the Pentagon’s interest in using deepfakes is that a significant portion of the American government sees benefit in it.
They want the public to believe that the government constantly puts out truthful information and doesn’t deceive its people. It can significantly help influence peoples’ opinions, turning adverse situations in their favor. However, it creates a legitimate concern of framing the U.S. government as hypocritical, eroding peoples’ trust with time.
